Creatures of the Night
by liketolaugh
Summary: Ciel surrounds himself with them. While his older and younger personalities battle for dominance, he investigates the destruction of many places, all of which were once homes to the supernatural. Sequel to Young Young Master.
1. Mass Destruction

**A/N: Yes, yes, here it is, as promised! The sequel to Young Young Master is up! Yay! I'm a bit ahead, so the first few updates may come fast... ish... Well, they won't be weeks (plural, at least) in coming, even if I can't get ideas. Regardless, go ahead and read this first chapter!**

**Title: Creatures of the Night**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: Ciel/Lizzy**

**Genre: Friendship/Drama**

**Warnings: Mangling of canon... again**

**Summary: Ciel surrounds himself with them. While Ciel's older and younger personalities battle for dominance within him, he investigates the destruction of many places, all of which are home to supernatural creatures.  
**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Black Butler is not mine.**

* * *

"Mass destruction," Ciel commented idly to Sebastian. "Remind me, why _precisely _are we investigating this, Sebastian? It's hardly subtle enough to be underworld work."

"And yet no one yet has a clue who committed the crime, Young Master," Sebastian pointed out, resigned to smoothing the boy's ruffled feathers – he was, after all, one of the very few who could. "Mass destruction it may be, the perpetrator is clever enough to disguise his trail. Very few criminals in the surface world think to do _that, _and fewer still are capable of doing it well_, _and so it falls to you, my lord, to track them down."

Ciel just grumbled, but Sebastian knew that his ire had been calmed. For now.

Ciel, whose ire was indeed calmed, peeked out the window, glowering at the road ahead. He had been called from the manor house, _again, _to take care of this case, not long after he had returned, which in turn had been a few days after his proper age had been restored. Not three weeks had passed, and already he had been recalled. He was extremely annoyed, and he wasn't the only one.

Up ahead, he could see trees emerging in the distance. The most recent of the three destruction sites had actually been some ways on the outskirts of London, and between that, the urgency, and the late call, it was twilight now, darkness beginning to claim the sky. He watched as the tree line drew closer and, finally, Sebastian reined the horses in, bringing the carriage to a rumbling halt.

"We have arrived, my lord," he announced, opening the door and stepping aside, waiting as Ciel took his hand to step down from the carriage.

Ciel looked around once both his feet were on the ground, frowning. "Hm," he said aloud. "Quite a mess, isn't it?"

The question was rhetorical; though the other sites had been messy, this was, reportedly, the first one with so many _bodies, _so much _blood. _Not six months ago, the sight would have made Ciel sick, to say nothing of the stench.

Not anymore.

The falling darkness had Ciel considering a return to the townhouse, but they were, after all, already here, with some light left in the day. Should worst come to worst, Sebastian had no trouble seeing in the dark. Ciel began to walk forward, gaze sweeping back and forth, biting back the urge to vomit.

Though he had since built up resistance to the sight and scent of gore, this was the worst one yet, and it was almost enough to turn Ciel green. His eyes passed over one particularly mangled body and he shuddered. He glanced up, and, to his utter lack of surprise, found Sebastian looking entirely unaffected, even smirking slightly, which agreed with his dark amusement.

Ciel cast Sebastian a halfhearted glower, but most of his attention was on the disaster area, looking for any sort of hint as to what could have occurred during the massacre, what could have instigated it. To the Yard's knowledge, nothing at all connected the three areas, with one in the deep city, another in the East End, and this last one at the edge of the forest.

Wait.

To the _Yard's _knowledge.

Ciel chuckled under his breath. Of course, Sebastian would know more than the Yard ever could hope to, and he called back, a slight smirk on his face (for surely Sebastian would be most annoyed that it had occurred to him this early in the game), "Sebastian, is there anything I ought to know about concerning this case? For instance, something connecting the disaster areas?"

He smirked again, amused, as he felt Sebastian's own brand of slightly resigned disappointment, on this occasion colored with a hint of wariness, which he reserved mostly for when Ciel caught him in one of his games before it could truly begin. "Indeed, my young lord. Each of the three locations has been a key gathering point for supernatural entities. In this case, it was the home of a now decimated werewolf pack."

Ciel 'hm'ed. "Is that so? And the others?"

"The first, in the East End, was a nest of fairies who inhabit the area and bring good or, more often, ill fortune to its human inhabitants. The other, which sustained the least damage, was formerly a nest of vampires."

Fairies. Ciel suppressed the urge to sigh. First demons, then reapers, and then angels, not to mention the few ghosts he'd come across. Each one came as something of a shock, though that was dying down by now. But still… _fairies. _Ciel wrinkled his nose.

"The one that was more ransacked than destroyed." Ciel hummed again, deciding to move past the _fairies _for now, and instead focusing on the… vampire nest. Hmph. "Also the first one to be attacked, I believe, though it didn't initially raise any immediate concern."

"Yes, sir."

"I don't recall any mention of fairies on that list of yours."

"I assumed you intended for me to list the entities which could cause harm, sir. Though fairies are indeed quite irritating if they dislike you, they never cause any real damage, nor do I believe that they could. Fairies are not malicious creatures, after all."

"Hm. Do not leave such things out again." Ciel wondered if he should be concerned that he accepted the existence of fairies with little hesitation.

Sebastian's emotions were purely nonchalant, seemingly not even registering the oddity of the subject of conversation. Hm. Perhaps not, then.

Sebastian paused. Ciel looked at him with slightly wide, curious eyes, his younger self brought out by the unusual occurrence.

That was another thing he was still getting used to. After he had been reaged, he felt different, younger. He believed – and Sebastian seemed to agree, though they had never discussed it – that his older and younger selves' personalities had merged.

What Sebastian didn't quite know yet, because Ciel knew Sebastian well enough to know that he would probably be somewhat concerned by the fact, was that the merge was incomplete. The two sides of him, fundamentally opposed, were still warring for dominance, and often one side would be in charge for a time, and then they would abruptly switch, as they did now. Ciel had felt younger since the incident, and he was sure that people were noticing the difference. They were less afraid of him now, slightly more friendly, on occasion even attempting to be nurturing.

It irritated him. Such sickeningly sweet feelings never failed to bring out his older self.

But regardless, Ciel was looking at Sebastian, his eyes wide with his younger self in charge now, though he knew by experience that he still carried overtones of his old personality.

After a moment, Sebastian resumed movement, seemingly dismissing whatever it was with a ripple of irritated denial – a mental reprimand. Ciel went on, too, assuming that it was of no consequence.

Then he felt it. Pain, anger, grief, _fear_. He stopped and looked back and forth, frowning slightly in curiosity.

"What's that?"

True to his curious child's personality, he ventured toward the emotion, disregarding the dead, empty bodies as his eyes zeroed in on one, stirring in the rapidly dimming light.

"Sebastian?" Ciel pressed. As always, the word was laden with unspoken words, a question hanging off of the name, with a demand for knowledge and an inherent certainty that he would receive an answer.

"It appears that there is one still alive, master," Sebastian replied, eyes narrow with suspicion when Ciel looked up. A hand landed on his shoulder, wary and protective. "I suggest that you go no further, my lord. He is, after all, wounded, and werewolves are well-known for their animalistic tendencies. He may attack."

Ciel nodded and stopped moving, cerulean eyes fixed on the wounded creature. So these were werewolves. And this one was, too, and still alive at that. Not for long, if he stayed out here. A curiosity began to burn in his mind.

Meanwhile, Sebastian had reached the injured werewolf and dropped down beside it on one knee, leaning down to inspect it. Other than fixing him with a guarded amber gaze, it didn't move, but a growl rippled from its chest.

"Are you seriously injured?" Sebastian inquired aloud, knowing that it would not answer. He reached down as he spoke and one hand landed on the man's forearm, which was slightly furry. His mouth was also something like a muzzle, with sharp teeth clearly visible as he bared them. A partial transformation, perhaps?

The instant Sebastian made contact with his skin, he lashed out, and his teeth sank deep into Sebastian's glove. Blood began to stain the white cloth and Sebastian sighed, annoyed and exasperated.

"Really, now, there is no need for that. I'm not going to hurt you, and you have ruined my glove."

Sebastian stripped the now bloodied glove away and tossed it aside carelessly, revealing a quickly healing bite mark in his hand and pitch-black nails. "Now, who are you, werewolf?"

A moment of pure confusion later, the werewolf swallowed and growled in reply, low and sore, "Rowan, beta of the Outer London werewolf pack."

* * *

**So everything's a bit odd right now. Seemingly mostly irrelevant to YYM as well. That'll change later. See you! Please, please, please review!**


	2. Stay Here

**A/N: The next chapter! I have nothing to say here. NOTHING. So go on, then, and read as you wish! *smile***

**Title: Creatures of the Night**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: Ciel/Lizzy**

**Genre: Friendship/Drama**

**Warnings: Mangling of canon... again**

**Summary: Ciel surrounds himself with them. While Ciel's older and younger personalities battle for dominance within him, he investigates the destruction of many places, all of which are home to supernatural creatures.  
**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Black Butler is not mine.**

* * *

Tension hung heavy in the air. Beside Rowan, who shifted nervously again, the boy – Ciel, he had said, smiling (or was it smirking?) slightly – looked out the window, every once in a while giving a little hum of thought. Rowan wondered, with no small amount of trepidation, what was so _interesting. _Because if it was him, he found that enough reason to be a little frightened.

Also, his arm hurt. His shoulder had been dislocated, and his arm, though now wrapped, had been ripped wide open.

Starlight flickered in the sky above as Rowan looked at it. Night had fallen completely now, darkness obscuring everything from human sight. Of course, he and the demon, Sebastian, had no trouble seeing in the dark, but he wasn't quite as sure about Ciel. He hadn't yet figured out what Ciel was, and his nose was of no help this time. He smelled of human, certainly, but so did anything that spent time around humans, and he also smelled of demon and a little angel. There was even a touch of reaper in there! And his behavior only made it harder to determine.

Understandably, Rowan was very confused.

"Human."

Ciel's voice made Rowan jump. "Huh?"

Ciel looked over at Rowan with a small, amused smile, edged with a slightly vindictive sort of laughter. "You were wondering what I am, right? I'm human."

"O-oh…" Then Rowan frowned. "Human? You don't really smell like it."

Ciel sighed and laughed softly. "I smell of demon, don't I?" he asked, voice tinged with resignation and definite amusement.

"Well, yes," Rowan admitted. The stink of demon in the carriage was, frankly, making him nervous, almost skittish. Demons, he knew, were always dangerous, and not something he wanted to be around in the slightest. "Angel and reaper, too."

Ciel's demeanor changed in a moment, and he frowned. "Oh, do I?" He 'hm'ed and, as he seemed to mull that over, his face darkened into a soft scowl. "Damn, I smell like _her._" He grumbled unintelligibly and turned his head to glare darkly out the window.

_What did I do? _Rowan wondered, repressing the urge to growl in irritation. All of a sudden the kid was so _annoyed _looking!

The tension level rose noticeably, and remained as such until the carriage rumbled to a halt in front of a large manor.

"We're here," noted the boy disinterestedly, turning and accepting the butler's help from the carriage. Rowan hopped out himself, looking around warily. He sniffed; besides the kid here, there seemed to be two other humans, and then the demon. His eyes fell on the manor house.

A rich kid. Great.

He grimaced and began to follow them toward the manor.

Ciel 'hm'ed to himself again, partially amusing himself with the way the werewolf's tension rose each time he did so, but mostly mulling over the newest case. So it was supernaturally relevant, perhaps of someone who disliked such things, despite knowing about them. Destructive and showy, but competent enough to avoid leaving obvious evidence.

He nodded to Sebastian as the demon opened the door to the townhouse and barely had time to brace himself before the familiar cry came, bursting with excitement.

"CIEL!"

Sure enough, Soma tackled him in a hug. Of course he did. Ciel scowled at him halfheartedly, but greeted in return, "Hello, Soma."

Soma grinned at him. That was one marked difference in his interactions; even when his personality leaned toward his older self's, he was less formal. Before, he would have made a point of addressing Soma with his title, and he knew that Soma was delighted that it had been dropped.

"Where did you go, Ciel? Are you going to disappear for a long time again? Will I have to look for you? Are you going to get sick?" Soma opened his mouth to ask another question, curiosity and boisterousness coating every word, but Ciel covered his mouth.

"Shut up, Soma," he said simply. Soma pouted at him.

After a moment, Ciel took his hand off (he knew that if he left it there too long, Soma would lick it) and Soma looked up. "Who is that?" he blurted before Ciel could stop him. This was quickly followed by a puff of sheepishness, which Ciel thought was well deserved. Inquisitive loon.

Ciel glanced up nonetheless. "Oh, him? That is Rowan. We found him at the crime scene and I thought that he may be useful," he explained, uncaring. Rowan growled at him, not wishing to be spoken of like an inanimate object, or a tool. Sebastian gave the werewolf a warning look. Ciel ignored them both; he would speak how he liked, thank you very much.

Rowan decided that he did not like Ciel.

Soma shrugged. "OK," he agreed cheerfully, then switched subjects. "Ciel! Will you play a game with me?"

Ciel's gaze sharpened with interest and he lightened slightly, but with a regretful look he replied, "I can't, Soma, I'm busy."

Soma pouted again, unhappy. "But _Cieeeeellll!_"

"No," Ciel insisted. He wriggled out of the older boy's grip and shook his head at him. "It's late, Soma, and I need to get back to work in the morning. It's _important. _I can't be unfocused because I played games 'til late."

Soma sulked as Ciel turned and walked away.

Sebastian followed, ushering Rowan along. Rowan growled at him belligerently, but knew full well that he was in no position to fight against anyone, let alone a demon. Though to be fair, he would never be in a good enough condition to fight a demon. That was for reapers to do, not werewolves.

The point was, he was stuck doing what these people told him to, and he was not happy about it.

Ciel glanced over his shoulder, sensing the belligerence. His eyes landed on the werewolf, who snarled at him, but his words were directed to Sebastian. "Sebastian. Put our _guest _in a room." He considered for a moment, then added, "And keep him away from Soma." It wouldn't do for the bratty prince to get hurt, after all.

Sebastian briefly dipped his head toward Ciel. "Yes, my lord." He changed course slightly and directed Rowan down a different hallway. Rowan refused to speak to the demon – childish, perhaps, but then, this place seemed to be full of children.

He was shown into a room, given a set of nightclothes and another set of day clothes that might fit him (though he didn't plan to find out) before the demon left him alone.

The lock clicked shut behind him. Rowan cursed.

Ciel yawned as Sebastian finished buttoning his nightshirt.

"My lord?" Sebastian asked quietly. "May I ask you a question?"

Ciel sighed and nodded tiredly. "Go ahead."

"Why did you insist that the werewolf return with us?"

Ciel tilted his head back to look at the demon as Sebastian straightened up. "For one thing, he was present at the last attack. He could have information for us." His firm expression softened with a touch of amusement and he allowed a little leeway when he felt Sebastian's exasperation. They both knew that wasn't the reason. "Besides that, I was curious. I have never before met a werewolf. I thought that the experience could be valuable."

"I see," Sebastian muttered. He shook his head slightly and then picked up the candelabra. "Goodnight, Young Master."

"Goodnight," Ciel replied sleepily, laying down and curling up on his side to fall asleep. He closed his eyes, and within moments drifted off into darkness.

* * *

**Yay! So that's that posted. I'm more active this summer than I thought I'd be... Huh. Well, if you're a fan of YYM (which I'd certainly hope all of you are, as this is its sequel) you'll like the next chapter. The games return! To an extent. Well, please review! Bye!**


	3. Train Tracks

**A/N: Yay! I publish this now because I have completed the next chapter. *grin* I'm rather proud of it. But first, you must read this one!**

**Title: Creatures of the Night**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: Ciel/Lizzy**

**Genre: Friendship/Drama**

**Warnings: Mangling of canon... again**

**Summary: Ciel surrounds himself with them. While Ciel's older and younger personalities battle for dominance within him, he investigates the destruction of many places, all of which are home to supernatural creatures.  
**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Black Butler is not mine.**

* * *

Ciel poked his tongue out between his teeth, concentrating hard on the work in front of him.

He hated paperwork. _Hated it._

At the moment, he had, aside from Agni (who was, admittedly, more helpful than not), he had a restless Prince Soma in residence, plus an extremely displeased werewolf, who he had ordered Sebastian to keep in check. Most likely, Sebastian was keeping track of Rowan's whereabouts. Then again, he did periodically come to check on Ciel.

"Young Master?"

Ah, the second option, then. Well, that was what he got for not paying attention. "Sebastian?"

"About Lord Trancy. It has been a fortnight now, and I wondered if you had considered how you intend to… _punish… _him for his betrayal."

Ciel set aside his pen and turned to look at Sebastian with a slight smirk. "Of course I have, Sebastian. What do you take me for?" He turned back to the desk and opened one of the drawers, withdrawing a paper from the bottom of a stack. "This paper here contains a few half-drafted plans. I have several ideas, obviously, but I believe that I will use _that _one."

Sebastian leaned over to peer at the half-plan that Ciel was indicating, soon emitted a soft sense of approval. "I see." A smirk crossed his face. "Well, this will certainly be interesting."

"Indeed," chuckled Ciel, face lightening at the thought and a soft laugh escaping him. "It's going to be quite entertaining, don't you think?"

It was a rhetorical question and Sebastian didn't answer aloud, but the look on his face, in complete agreement with his anticipation, expressed everything Ciel needed to know.

* * *

Ciel finally set aside the last of his work… okay, so he'd stopped his work when he'd completed the bare minimum, instead working out the details of his plan. The completed version which lay before him was now more or less perfected, and he was almost certain that it would work, _and _get the point across.

_And just in time, too,_ he thought with amusement as the door banged open, admitting a certain childish seventeen-year-old. "Hello, Soma," he greeted, smiling slightly.

"Hello, Ciel!" Soma grinned back, boisterous and excited. "You have finished working now, yes? So you can play with me!"

Ciel tipped his head back and considered. He had, after all, completed only the bare minimum for the day… "Play what?" he asked.

Soma didn't even stop to consider. "With your train set!"

Ciel considered. He had often played with the train when he was little, liking it almost as much as his Funtom Arc. Actually, he had never truly grown bored of it, but rather had simply become… otherwise occupied. "That's fine."

And that was how the two of them ended up in the main room, a train track assembled and taking up the entirety of the space (yes, Ciel had really liked his train set, and had quite the collection of tracks). The clockwork train smoothly made its way down the track, egged on by the two boys.

Ciel glanced up at a jolt of surprise and gave a small smile. "Oh, Rowan. Are you settling in fine? I've seen you about occasionally, but mostly in the garden."

Rowan glowered at him. "Haven't seen you anywhere," he replied gruffly, still a little belligerent. More than that, though, he had become resigned to the situation.

That most certainly did not mean that he had to like the brat, though.

Then he looked over the room again and his confusion grew. "Are you… playing with a train set?"

Ciel nodded.

"You can join us," Soma offered.

Ciel glanced up at Rowan again, cast Soma a brief glare, and then conceded, "If you like."

Rowan crossed his arms and shook his head stiffly. "Too old for train sets," he grunted. But he had nothing better to do, and instead sat down to watch. After a certain amount of boredom, one did tend to become somewhat desperate to occupy themselves. Rowan figured that this was an example of that.

After that short exchange, the two boys blatantly ignored the werewolf, instead focusing on the train set and each other. Soma, the more excitable of the two, occasionally exclaimed something abruptly, and when the train track was rearranged, it was generally because of a suggestion he had made. Of course, he generally didn't have any idea how to _implement _those changes, but that was what Ciel was there for.

And Ciel was enjoying himself, anyway, so he didn't mind.

He laughed at something Soma had said and then felt another burst of surprise. He glanced up, slightly mischievously, at the werewolf, who was looking at him with said surprise. Heh, probably hadn't even realized that Ciel was _capable _of acting like the child he was.

He laughed at the werewolf, too, and then focused on rearranging the track _again _when Soma suggested making it go under some of the furniture, like tunnels. It was a good enough idea to go along with, he decided.

* * *

Sebastian frowned, looking into Ciel's study, but not finding him there. So where could he be?

Just on the edge of even his hearing, he heard a laugh. From downstairs, in the living room. _Ciel's _laugh.

Sebastian chuckled quietly. Ah. So Ciel was with Soma. He turned away from the study, closing the door behind him, and headed toward the living room instead, opening that door.

On one side of the room was Ciel and Soma, seemingly moving the track around. The slightly exasperated look on Ciel's face suggested that either they had been at this for some time, that this had happened multiple times, or, quite possibly, both. Particularly considering the fact that the track lay all across the room.

On the other side, much to Sebastian's surprise, was Rowan, sitting and watching the two boys. Instead of the angry look that had stayed on his face for the past few days, he looked quietly thoughtful, and a little surprised. Sebastian chuckled. No one expected that his Young Master could be a child at times. Or, at least, he could now.

Ciel looked up and spotted him, granting him a small smile. "Sebastian," he greeted.

Sebastian dipped his head. "Young Master," he greeted in return. Then he smirked. "You are having fun, I trust?"

Ciel scowled at him briefly, but it soon dropped and he look back to the tracks, seemingly choosing to ignore Sebastian. He pointed at one section. "No, Soma," he insisted. "If it goes beneath the seat, the train won't be able to get through, and then there is absolutely no point having it there."

"But Ciel!" Soma pouted.

"_No, _Soma."

Sebastian chuckled. Rowan regarded the trio with a thoughtful look. Soma, meanwhile, looked crushed, his idea smacked aside. Ciel sighed.

"I suppose if we enlisted Agni's help to lift the couch onto something, it would…" he began, looking slightly exasperated. Soma cut him off with a delighted cry, hopping up.

"I'll go get Agni!" he exclaimed, hurrying off before Ciel could say anything more.

"…be tall enough," Ciel finished with a sigh. Sebastian smirked at him.

* * *

**So that's all cute and stuff and a bit of a flashback to YYM. The next one, on the other hand... Ciel is honestly kind of terrifying. It pleases me. Immensely. See you! Please review!**


	4. Blind to the Truth

**A/N: Alright, then, this is up now. Obviously. Hope it's alright.**

**Title: Creatures of the Night**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: Ciel/Lizzy**

**Genre: Friendship/Drama**

**Warnings: Mangling of canon... again**

**Summary: Ciel surrounds himself with them. While Ciel's older and younger personalities battle for dominance within him, he investigates the destruction of many places, all of which are home to supernatural creatures.  
**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Black Butler is not mine.**

* * *

Ciel yawned as he and Soma packed the last of the train set away (he didn't trust Sebastian to put it away right, since he had a very specific way of organizing it) and then sat back. Soma grinned at him.

"That was fun, little Ciel. We should do it again sometime."

Ciel leaned back slightly. "I suppose," he murmured, stifling another yawn.

"I believe, though, that it is quite past time for the Young Master to go to bed," Sebastian inserted, picking up the box containing the set to be put away. Ciel nodded and stood, nodding first to Soma, then Agni, and then, after a moment's consideration, to Rowan as well, before making his way toward the door.

Just as he reached it, he paused and glanced over his shoulder at Sebastian. "Sebastian."

"Young Master?" Sebastian asked, looking at Ciel.

"We begin tomorrow."

A slow smirk spread across Sebastian's face. "Yes, my lord."

Ciel nodded once and then headed to his bedchamber to wait for Sebastian to come and help him prepare for bed.

"Begin what?" Rowan asked curiously.

Soma laughed at him. "They aren't going to _tell_ you!" He looked at the confused werewolf with a grin. "They never tell _anyone _what they plan to do."

Sebastian smirked. "Quite right," he agreed, going to put the box away before heading upstairs to help Ciel.

* * *

The next day, late in the morning, Ciel looked up and at Sebastian. "Sebastian."

"Young Master?"

"Let us begin."

A smirk stretched across Sebastian's face. "Yes, my lord." He vanished for a few short moments, but quickly returned, bearing a pen and paper, along with Angela's note, retrieved from her former base of operations. Ciel took all three items and laid them out before him. He paused to look at them for a moment, then took up the pen and paper and set about forging a new note from Angela.

Slowly, carefully, Ciel copied the handwriting on Angela's note, onto the new piece of paper, bearing new words. What letters he couldn't see, he guessed, matching them meticulously so that they didn't stand out from those he could. Gradually, the note came together.

_You have done well. But I require one thing more of you. We can discuss this in person; send a carriage for me in front of Scotland Yard's headquarters. I will know it is you by your five demons. You will stay in your manor, and I will meet you there. We can discuss things further then. When you read this, destroy the note; you are being watched._

Ciel sat back and reread the note with a critical eye. Finally, though, he nodded in satisfaction and handed the note to Sebastian, who scanned it rapidly. Ciel smirked at the flash of vindictive approval, lit with anticipation.

"Good enough?" he teased.

Sebastian folded the note and tucked it into his jacket, slightly embarrassed. "Quite."

Ciel dropped his playful manner quickly. "Now, go to the Trancy manor and plant the note. Wait there until he sends his demons away, then come get me."

Sebastian bowed before Ciel. "Yes, my lord."

And he whirled around, tailcoat and anticipation swirling around him, and left, leaving behind only a smirking Ciel.

Revenge would be sweet indeed. For him, at least.

* * *

Sebastian, by pure chance (and the lingering scent of angel), placed the note on the same window that Angela had put hers. Then he hid himself nearby – knowing that Ciel's addition to the note would not only account for the demon scent that may be on the note, but also, possibly, prevent it from being smelled at all – and stayed completely motionless as he waited for the bait to be found.

* * *

"Ciel!"

_Ah, just in time, _Ciel thought with amusement, feeling Soma's boisterous and excitement even through the wooden barricade known as a door. _But what's this? _With it was curiosity, clearly not Soma's, and touched with apprehension. He turned to face the door as it flew open.

"Ciel! Rowan has a question!"

Well, that would explain it.

Ciel looked past Soma and fixed the uncomfortable werewolf with a blue stare. "Yes?"

Rowan shifted, flexing and relaxing long fingers that Ciel knew could easily become claws. He was nervous. "I wondered where that d-" He cut himself off at Ciel's warning look and corrected hastily, "butler of yours was."

Well, that wasn't a question he wanted to answer. "You're afraid," he said instead.

Rowan frowned. "Huh?" But he also became slightly more nervous, and Ciel took a guess.

"You believe me to be moody, unpredictable." Soma shivered, remembering the tone, the same vicious, ripping, tearing intent, delving into his insecurities, his worries, but not from Ciel. From Sebastian. He hadn't known that _Ciel _could do the same thing, with the same unnerving calm, that slight smirk, that triumph. But he stayed and listened, because, well, he was curious. "You fear Sebastian especially, you know he obeys me. He will do as I say, regardless of moral wrongs or social slights. You think that I will set him on you if I feel the slightest inclination to do so. You don't know why you're here, in this unfamiliar place, but you know that it's because of me. You know that I want something, but you don't know what, and you're afraid. Am I wrong?"

Rowan didn't reply, but the air was thick with fear.

A slow smile, incongruent to the subject at hand, to the words being delivered, spread across Ciel's face, small and light. "It's not an unwarranted fear. I am known to be moody, to hold grudges, to be unpredictable at times, and especially, to have a _very _short temper." He smirked at the growing fear in Rowan, the wariness, the feeling of treading on thin ice, and knowing that it could break at any moment, but that you could not escape. But then, amusing as it was, he would not quite achieve his goals with that. He needed trust. "And Sebastian will obey me, he will not hesitate to do as I say. You know this. He knows this. I know this. But I will not order him to attack you, to _dispose _of you. Because, you see, I do not aim to harm those who interest me. And you, Mr. Rowan, interest me greatly." He chuckled softly at the fast-paling man (who clearly was uncertain whether to be relieved or further terrified) and added, in an afterthought-like tone that would see it easily dismissed as unimportant, "Sebastian is out on an errand."

Rowan nodded once, rapidly, and then scurried from the room, tail between his legs. Metaphorically. He hoped. Soma, though far less afraid, was strongly reminded of why Sebastian terrified him so very much, followed hastily.

"Young Master."

Ciel looked up, interest and anticipation gleaming in his eyes. "Sebastian?"

"The bait has been taken."

Ciel smiled and stood as Sebastian slid open the window and climbed in. "Let us go, then," Ciel said, in a light tone unsuited to the situation.

"Very good, sir."

A quick walk to the front door of the manor, as Ciel refused to be carried out the window, had Sebastian picking up Ciel and bearing him away.

* * *

They landed in front of the Trancy manor not fifteen minutes later. Ciel, now nothing but solemn and serious, nodded to Sebastian as he was let down, and they entered the manor.

"This way, sir," Sebastian said quietly, but briskly, going down first one hallway, then another, and another. Ciel was soon convinced that they were utterly lost – but then they found the Trancy head.

"Alois Trancy," Ciel said, the words dripping from his mouth like venom from fangs.

Alois whipped around, his eyes widening as they landed on Ciel. "You – you're supposed to be dead!"

Ciel scoffed. "I am not so easily killed, Alois. Sebastian."

Sebastian understood instantly, which was more than Alois could say, and darted to heft Alois over his shoulder, much like a very angry sack of potatoes, Ciel thought. Alois could fight all he liked, though, but he was never going to escape Sebastian's hold.

"Phantomhive!" Alois spat, icy eyes glaring furiously at Ciel as he fruitlessly pounded Sebastian's back with flailing fists. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Ciel smirked coldly. "I am known to be rather… _vicious, _shall we say, when I seek my revenge."

Alois' eyes widened in shock and fear, but then he fought harder than ever, to no avail.

They walked for only a short while before they entered a room. It was small and rather simple. It contained a single armchair, with a desk lamp not far from it, and a few fully stocked bookshelves. It also had a small fireplace, complete with a chimney, which was currently blocked, and not a single window. Alois paused in his struggles, baffled.

"Ciel? What is this? Why are we here?"

"You'll see," Ciel replied. "Or, rather, won't."

Sebastian placed the once again struggling Alois on the chair, while Ciel, in plain few of the blond-haired boy, removed from his pockets a length of rope, ear plugs, a gag, and a thick, black blindfold. Alois' eyes rounded in terror.

Neither demon, nor master was affected by Alois' struggles or pleas as he was bound, all motion fully restricted by the thick ropes.

Ciel chose this moment to begin speaking. "I do not tolerate betrayal, Alois."

Alois' eyes darted to him. "What do you mean?" he attempted.

Ciel ignored him. "I know that you are afraid of the dark. You are afraid of being left alone. But especially, you are afraid of being left alone in the dark. Nor do you like being helpless, unable to call for help, to run, to do anything. You lose your mind with the terror each one brings."

Alois glared at him. "What do _you _know about it?" he spat.

Ciel tilted his head and treated Alois to a cold smirk. "What do _I _know about it? More than you would believe, I think. I know that your demons are not here. I know that they will not return for several hours, once they realize that there is no one waiting after all."

Alois froze. _No…_

"Yes. This last note was forged. I wrote it myself, knowing that you relished in the chance to try and kill me, loved believing that you had succeeded, and would be willing to listen to the one who you believe made it happen. But of course, it was all fake. Just as this setup you have for yourself is, Alois." He tilted his head and chuckled. "Of course, had I wished it, I could have continued this charade for longer. But, in the end, it would have come crumbling down, as all fake things must eventually. And mark my words, Alois – someday, this life you have built for yourself, founded by lies and built with deception, will also come falling down. But that, of course, is a discussion for another day."

Alois squirmed, furious and terrified and shocked to his core, shaken by Ciel's words. "N-no. No! You're lying! You're _lying!"_

"Am I lying?" Ciel asked quietly. "Do even _you _really believe I'm lying, Alois? I think not." He smiled and nodded to Sebastian.

Sebastian smirked back and took first the gag, tying it about Alois' mouth before he could get another word out, and then blindfolded him, blocking all light. Ciel put in one last word, unable to resist the temptation.

"I'll be leaving you alone now."

And then Sebastian placed in the earplugs, preventing any sound from reaching his ears, as muffled cries began to escape the gag. Ciel turned and left, and Sebastian closed the door behind him, clicking the lock shut, leaving Alois to his fate.

Ciel and Sebastian exchanged a single, satisfied smirk.

A job well done.

* * *

**Was that good? I think it was. Hopefully. I thought Ciel was terrifying, but that could just be me. :P Please review!**


	5. Dead Ringer

**A/N: I got this! I think... It might not be that good... Never mind! Read!**

**Title: Creatures of the Night**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: Ciel/Lizzy**

**Genre: Friendship/Drama**

**Warnings: Mangling of canon... again**

**Summary: Ciel surrounds himself with them. While Ciel's older and younger personalities battle for dominance within him, he investigates the destruction of many places, all of which are home to supernatural creatures.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Black Butler is not mine.**

* * *

Ciel was patiently explaining the rules of a marble game, known as Ringer, to Soma when Sebastian entered. Rowan was sitting against the wall a little way away, watching bemusedly, though less so than at the train incident.

"You take this marble," he indicated the one he was holding, "and flick it at the enemy marbles," which he proceeded to do, "aiming to knock them out." Which he did.

Soma leaned over, fascinated. "But how do you know which are yours?" he wanted to know.

Ciel sighed exasperatedly. "I have a lot of marbles, Soma. I can get enough for each of us to have a different color." He pointed at himself. "Blue." He pointed at Soma. "Red." He shook his head. "Simple."

"Can I have purple?" Soma asked hopefully.

Ciel shook his head again, but it wasn't a negative, just another sign of his exasperation. "Fine," he grumbled, reaching for his case of marbles.

Sebastian chose that moment to interrupt. "Young Master? Were you not going to ask Mr. Rowan a few questions today?" he asked, a bit pointedly. Rowan jumped slightly at the mention of his name.

Ciel looked up, just now noting his presence, and then his expression lightened, a hint of predatory excitement leaking into his eyes, which drifted to Rowan, and he smiled.

Rowan immediately grew wary.

* * *

Rowan sat in the chair he had been provided, shifting uncomfortably. Ciel sat himself across from him, not even a desk between them, but with Sebastian at his shoulder.

"Rowan," Ciel began, expression still light. "As Sebastian reminded me… we initially brought you here with the intent to ask you a few questions about what you saw."

Rowan tensed slightly; it was not a pleasant memory, and he wanted nothing to do with it.

He'd lost his pack that day. _All _of it. They were all _dead. _And that twisted his heart in nasty ways, gave him nightmares when the daylight left, colored him with wariness and caution and grief that he tried to hide away, even from himself.

"We need to know what you saw," Ciel pressed. "We want to find out who did it – and put him away. But we cannot do that _if we do not know who he is."_

Rowan shifted again, didn't speak. He glanced up, and then back down, let out a little growl of frustration, feeling trapped. But, finally, feeling that he was left with no choice, he began to speak.

"It was dark, you understand," he began, voice low. "We couldn't see much." His gaze drifted up, hesitantly meeting Ciel's blue eye. "But its eyes glowed. It was tall. And it moved fast – very fast. Almost too fast to see."

"And?" Ciel pushed.

Rowan hesitated for a moment again. "After it left… the forest smelled of sulfur."

"That's all?"

"Everything I know." Everything but the scent of blood he'd also left, the dead bodies of his packmates, the stench of death in the air, and the screams, echoing in Rowan's mind, screams of pain and terror.

But those weren't what Ciel wanted.

Ciel inclined his head toward Rowan. "You are free to go."

And Rowan left the room, as fast as he could go.

Ciel and Sebastian were left alone in the study, Ciel 'hm'ing to himself thoughtfully, Sebastian waiting patiently for him to finish his thinking. Finally, he started to speak. "It's hard to say, at this stage, what precisely it is. But human, unlikely as it was in the first place, has been ruled out." He waited for any sign of disagreement from Sebastian, but received none, and so went on. "Further investigation is, I think, necessary. Perhaps that nest of vampires?"

"That would be a wise place to begin," Sebastian agreed.

Ciel nodded to himself. "Tomorrow," he decided.

"Yes, my lord."

As if on cue, a hammering started on the door again. "Ciel? Ciel? Are you finished yet? Can we return to your odd English game of marbles?"

Ciel let out a sigh that was half exasperated, half amused. "Fine," he called back, making to stand. "I'm finished, I'm finished."

Sebastian gave him a slight nod and a smirk, which Ciel ignored as he opened the door himself, causing Soma to topple through and grin at him.

And that was how Ciel found himself how he had started, explaining the rules of Ringer. Again.

He glanced up to find Rowan sitting against the wall again, looking ill at ease. There was no reason to kick him out; it was hardly as if he caused trouble, and on one memorable occasion, he had prevented Mey-rin from shattering the china cabinet again.

"Rowan?" he called, surprising even himself. The werewolf jumped slightly and looked at him. "Come play, if you wish. It is more interesting with multiple people."

Rowan eyed him warily for a moment, then, slowly, started to approach. Soma grinned, and Ciel nodded to himself; there was only so much time a man could spend in his own company, and it somewhat amused him to have the werewolf playing marbles with them, anyway. He smiled slightly and reached for the case again, drawing out enough orange marbles for Rowan to play, too.

An hour later, he had won the game soundly. Multiple times. But each of them was having fun, and that, Soma declared, was the important thing.

Ciel was pretty sure he'd only said that because he rarely won games. But he smiled all the same.

* * *

**Mm, short. But I hope you liked it all the same. *smile* Please review!**


	6. Shadows on the Walls

**A/N: OK. So. Right. Sorry this took a while. *shrug* Kept getting distracted. I've put up a oneshot, Sun and Blood, which ties into this story, but you don't need to read it to understand. It's referenced, but you don't need to have read it. All the same... well, read on!**

**Title: Creatures of the Night**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: Ciel/Lizzy**

**Genre: Friendship/Drama**

**Warnings: Mangling of canon... again**

**Summary: Ciel surrounds himself with them. While Ciel's older and younger personalities battle for dominance within him, he investigates the destruction of many places, all of which are home to supernatural creatures.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Black Butler is not mine.**

* * *

"Ciel!"

Soma's voice broke sliced through the darkness like a knife, rousing Ciel from his sleep. Ciel yawned, slowly sitting up, and rubbed one of his eyes tiredly. "What is it, Soma?" he mumbled. His excitement was too _loud _for so early in the morning.

"Agni told me that you and Sebastian were going somewhere today!"

Ciel yawned again and reached for his eye patch, turning his head to look out the window, where the sun was only just rising.

"And when was this?" Ciel complained. "Before the sun rose?"

Soma tilted his head and then nodded, grinning. "Yes. You get up so late, Ciel!"

Ciel glowered at him halfheartedly, then called, "Sebastian."

The door opened almost instantly, admitting a frowning Sebastian. "Young Master? What are you doing awake already?" His gaze landed on Soma and realization dawned in him, and he chuckled. "Ah. I see."

Ciel glowered at him, more awake now. It was not _funny._

"So? Is it true?" Soma pressed impatiently, bouncing slightly. "Are you and Sebastian going somewhere?"

"Yes," Ciel confirmed, just as impatiently, beckoning Sebastian with one finger. _"You, _however, are not coming," he added, knowing that that was where Soma was going with this.

Sebastian bent slightly, taking the eye patch from Ciel and tying it swiftly on, while Soma whined. "But why, Ciel? Why can I not come?"

"It's work," Ciel replied shortly. "You are _never _allowed with me while I'm working."

"You work _inside!" _His displeasure was as grating as his excitement.

"Sometimes, Prince Soma, my master's work requires him to venture outside and _look into things,_" Sebastian interfered, giving Soma a slight smirk when he pouted again. "Now, if you would please leave the room, I must dress my master for the day now."

Still sulking, Soma left the room, dragging his feet all the way.

Sebastian chuckled. "Like a child," he murmured, beginning the process of undressing Ciel.

Ciel sighed.

Soma sulked at least until they left. Privately, Ciel thought that he sulked for a good long while afterwards, too.

Ciel gazed out the window disinterestedly. "You know where to go."

"Yes, my lord."

And the carriage began to rumble along.

Still a little tired out from his early awakening, Ciel started to drift off, lulled by the steady motion of the carriage. But he wasn't going to fall asleep. He was _not _a _child._

His eyes drifted closed.

"My lord?"

It seemed only moments later that Ciel opened his eyes again, and he tilted his head inquisitively, gaze light and curious. "Sebastian?"

Sebastian was smirking at him slightly, just outside the carriage door, and he indicated the building they had stopped at. "We have arrived."

Damn. Ciel suppressed a slight flush and nodded, letting Sebastian help him down, and looking up toward the mostly-intact building with curiosity.

He'd met a vampire before. Just once, when he was nine, with Lizzy. But of course, that had been an isolated incident, and he had not come into contact with the supernatural again until he met Sebastian, which was anything _but _an isolated incident.

With a nod to Sebastian, Ciel started toward the unobtrusive door, letting his hand rest on the doorknob for a moment before he turned it and pushed the door open.

The hall was dark, as if it had no inhabitants… or as though its inhabitants needed no light. It was eerily normal, just another common man's house, with each room looking completely untouched, save for one.

He opened the door into one room, and it was completely trashed. Broken glass was scattered across the ground, a table broken in half, chairs smashed to pieces… this was where the attacker had faced down the inhabitants.

Blood smattered the ground, and Ciel looked down at it, tilting his head slightly.

"They never saw it coming," he said softly.

"None of them did," replied Sebastian, and with a hand on his master's arm, he drew the boy once more from the room.

They continued down the hallway, but Sebastian stopped Ciel again when he paused, hearing voices. Ciel frowned, hearing nothing, but then felt the distant aggravation, accompanied by a sort of harried put-upon feeling.

"Really, what a _mess! _Why should we _reapers _have to investigate this, hm? It's not _our _problem."

"Um, Mr. Sutcliff, sir, Mr. Spears said that reapers were in charge of general safety if it's necessary. Right?"

Ciel tilted his head and opened the door to poke his head in with a frown, just in time to see Grell toss his hair in said aggravation.

"Well, yes, but _really, _Ronald. It's so much _trouble."_

"That is a reaper's duty, is it not?" Sebastian inserted smoothly, entering just after Ciel, though his posture indicated a readiness to move in front of the boy should the reapers prove to be a threat.

Grell turned to him and beamed. "Sebastian-darling!" He threw himself at the demon, arms open, carrying that disgusting hot-humid feeling with him, but Sebastian stepped aside. Grell huffed indignantly and whirled around, throwing his hair over his shoulder.

"Yes, I suppose it is," he answered finally, a bit of a whine in his voice. "But vampires and werewolves and _especially _fairies are all so _troublesome. _I really don't like them at all, Sebby-darling!" He pouted. "The fairies like to mess with my wonderful hair, and they turn everything _blue!"_

Ciel sighed and turned. "Sebastian." He glanced over his shoulder, face darkening into seriousness. "We have a job to do ourselves."

Sebastian nodded once, rather pleased to leave the company of the redheaded reaper. "Yes, my lord."

"Wait, wait!" Ronald yelped, scrambling after them. "If Mr. Spears hears we let a demon wander 'round here, we'll be in trouble!"

Ciel tilted his head to glower at the ginger reaper. "Then come with us," he replied carelessly, starting forward again.

He ignored the arguments and protests that followed, letting Sebastian deal with them while his mind wandered.

He was interested in vampires, to an extent. More so than werewolves, certainly. They honestly reminded him somewhat of demons, but… _less. _Less evil, less invulnerable… less. Certainly, they needed less from humans – blood was rather a small thing to ask, when compared to a soul.

He opened another door and frowned when he found himself looking down a darkened stairway. He looked up to Sebastian, gave him a short nod, and the demon put himself to watching Ciel as he made his way blindly down the stairs.

They reached the bottom, and Ciel sighed when he still found himself unable to see. Well, there weren't any humans here – certainly no one who would be able to bring consequences down on him for a demon deal, social or otherwise, and he reached up to untie the eye patch he wore, providing just a little illumination in the room from the glowing contract. Shadow and fear haunted the air.

Dusky shadows were cast on the wall, dim and always moving away from him, allowing him to just barely make out forms and flickers. He looked one way, then another.

It had clearly been modified. Recently, at that. And there were people there.

No, not people, at least not _human _people. Sebastian laid a warning hand on his arm as the realization dawned on Ciel.

Those were _vampires _there, chained to the ground, pale as death and even more ill.

"Sebastian," he murmured, voice almost silent, his order implicit.

"Yes, my lord."

He continued to walk, feeling many, many gazes burning him, but finally, he stopped short when he heard a hoarse whisper, surprise and disbelief shivering into the air.

"Ciel?"

He looked over, eyes widened, and saw the soft, lavender light play over yet another form, one he recognized, and years seemed to drop from his expression, his younger side farther out than it had been since the spell fell away.

"Ricardo?"

* * *

**Yeah... so... *shrug* I don't know if all of you have read it (*cough*not) but you don't need to in order to understand, it'll just help a little. Please review! Oh, and this is the last OC creature, I promise!**


	7. Bite and Blood

**A/N: Hi! So... Yes, I have this now. I actually had most of it a while ago... *shrug* Much of the credit for the first bit of conversation goes to Paxloria, who suggested something similar. *smile***

**Title: Creatures of the Night**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: Ciel/Lizzy**

**Genre: Friendship/Drama**

**Warnings: Mangling of canon... again**

**Summary: Ciel surrounds himself with them. While Ciel's older and younger personalities battle for dominance within him, he investigates the destruction of many places, all of which are home to supernatural creatures.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Black Butler is not mine.**

* * *

Ricardo, the very vampire Ciel had met years ago, rattled his chains weakly, surprise vibrating off of him in tired little waves. "Ciel, what are you doing in this place?" he rasped.

Ciel gave him a quick once-over, blue eye sparking in some irritation and some worry, and then replied dryly, "Well, it appears that I am saving you again."

Sebastian glanced from Ciel, to Ricardo, to Ciel again. "My lord?" he questioned, quite rightly confused.

Ciel looked up at him, causing shadows to dance across his face. He chuckled lightly. "Ah, of course. Sebastian, this is Ricardo." A slight smirk, filled with a little mirth, stretched across his face. "We met about a year before you and I did, when he stumbled upon Lizzy and I, so thirsty he appeared near to death." He tilted his head and smiled. "It appears that he has reached that state again."

Sebastian, catching the subtext with the ease of long practice, smirked at Ciel. "Young Master, might I remind you how _we _met, and of our experiences since?"

The smile disappeared and Ciel scowled at Sebastian. "I am not _helpless, _Sebastian."

Sebastian's smirk widened, amusement pouring off of him. "Of course not, my lord."

Ciel let out a huff and whirled on Ricardo, studying him with discerning, dissimilar eyes. Finally, he decided,

"You need blood."

Ricardo gave him a slightly wary look. "Is that to be taken as an offer?" he asked cautiously.

Behind Ciel, Sebastian's eyes flashed red, and a disapproving frown marred his face. Catching Ricardo's eye, his own narrowed in warning, the expression far more menacing than it had any right to be.

Demons, after all, were stronger than vampires, and Ciel was _his._

Fear flashed in Ricardo's eyes, faster than the human eye could see, but then his gaze slid back to Ciel, who looked almost thoughtful. Ciel's eyes flashed between Ricardo and Sebastian (and Ricardo wondered if he, against all odds, had somehow been privy to the silent exchange) and then settled again on the vampire.

After a moment, Ciel replied, "Yes." And he stepped forward.

"My lord," warned Sebastian.

"Silence, Sebastian."

Ricardo glanced at the displeased demon butler. "I will be careful," he promised.

"That is what you said last time," Ciel grouched.

Ricardo smiled wanly, then took Ciel's wrist in one slightly shaking hand. But his brow furrowed slightly despite his hunger (and he was glad that he was old enough – and a poor enough hunter – to be able to resist the call of blood when he wished to) and he glanced up again.

Ciel scowled at him. "I am not nine anymore, Ricardo. I can lose a little blood." He could feel the bouncing eagerness, why was the damn vampire hesitating? He was wasting time, time that Ciel really couldn't be bothered with.

A slight smirk twisted Ricardo's mouth. "That," he drawled, "is what you said last time."

But without another moment's hesitation, he pressed his mouth to Ciel's wrist and bit down, drawing in the blood that spilled forth with relish.

Sebastian hissed and didn't look away, red eyes on Ricardo, glinting in warning. But Ricardo no longer cared, lured by the call of blood, all his attention focused on the pale wrist before him.

Behind them, the reapers were muttering to each other and to the vampires, and Ciel listened as the replies of the vampires began to grow excited, anticipatory. He frowned and turned his head to look over his shoulder.

The reapers were holding vials of something red. After a brief, very brief, moment, Ciel realized that it was blood. Each vial seemed to be holding much more than it appeared capable of, and, Ciel noticed, one was being given to each vampire, and they sucked at it greedily – much as Ricardo was doing to his wrist at that moment.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

But Ciel was trying _not _to think about that, so he continued to watch, and pondered. It seemed, to him, to be a bit odd, but after a moment, it dawned on him.

If the Dead Man's Blood legend was nothing but a myth, reapers were actually in the perfect position to provide blood for a vampire, with the amount they surely came across in their line of work.

And indeed, as each vampire finished their little vial, they visibly strengthened before Ciel's eyes. Soon, the sounds of shattering chains began to echo in the basement as they grew strong enough to break free. The reapers started to busy themselves keeping the vampires from all charging out at once, eager as they were to escape now that they were healthy.

Ciel, on the other hand, was starting to feel a little dizzy…

"Vampire," Sebastian barked suddenly. Ciel looked over at him, swaying a little, and was nearly knocked over by the sharp snap of anger. Ciel's expression was dazed, his eyes a little too wide, and the anger spiked. "Cease your leeching at once."

_Ah, _Ciel thought dazedly. _Sebastian did not like vampires at all._

Ricardo, who, Ciel noted, looked far healthier than any of the others despite having received about the same amount of blood, looked up at the boy and released him abruptly, feeling guilty. Ciel, not expecting that and already off-balance, tipped backward. Sebastian caught and steadied him easily, giving Ricardo a dark look.

Ricardo returned it with an apologetic one and broke his chains with ease, moving to lean over Ciel with some concern. He reached out, long fingers brushing Ciel's head delicately, beside his softly glowing contract. "You have gotten yourself into much trouble, child," he said quietly.

Ciel deliberately turned his head from the pale hand and pulled himself from Sebastian's grasp. "I'm fine," he muttered mutinously, and then, irate, "Don't call me 'child'."

Ricardo drew back. "But of course."

He didn't quite believe it.

Sebastian leaned down to murmur in Ciel's ear, concern battering softly at Ciel. "Are you quite certain you're alright, my lord?"

Ciel didn't meet Sebastian's gaze when he repeated, "I'm fine."

Sebastian didn't believe him either. He knew Ciel far too well for that.

And that, of course, was why Ciel found himself being lifted through the air and settled into the crook of one of Sebastian's arms, held tight against the man's side. Without thinking, he flung his arms around Sebastian's neck, tightening his grip and shutting his eyes tightly as a new rush of pounding dizziness, worse this time, crashed over him.

Even so, he couldn't fail to notice the twin jolts of surprise on either side of him.

By the time he once again opened his eyes, though, both expressions had been wiped clean, Sebastian's a bit better than Ricardo's.

"I'm fine," Ciel repeated, as though it would make a difference.

* * *

**Yay! I like this one, I think. However - I like Ricardo. If you think he's too prominent, let me know. I'm going to tone it down best I can, but I'm probably going to slip up. Still, he will by no means be replacing Sebastian in any capacity. (that pisses me _and _Sebastian off) So... please review!**


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